1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an improved network data processing system. Particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for utilizing Web services in the network data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for using Web services to manage data center operations in the network data processing system.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, the use of Web services has increased due to the popularity of the World Wide Web. With Web services, businesses may perform transactions with consumers or other businesses. A service provider may publish available services on the Internet using Web services for an end user to subscribe. For example, a customer may subscribe to obtain stock quotes from a financial institution using Web services.
Web services are provided through a number of standards. An example of a Web services standard is Web Services Description language (WSDL). WSDL, a standard published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), allows a service provider to describe Web services in an extensible markup language (XML) format as a set of endpoints operating on messages. WSDL allows endpoints and messages to be described regardless of the message formats or network protocols.
Another Web services standard is Web services invocation framework (WSIF). WSIF is an open application programming interface (API) for invoking Web services regardless of how the Web services are provided. Using WSIF, application developers may interact directly with abstract representations of Web services through their WSDL descriptions instead of using common message formats, such as Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP). With these standards, Web services are widely used in electronic commerce and business-to-business applications.
Data centers, which connect a variety of servers and devices in different ways, are currently managed by administrators using legacy applications or manual operations. Many of these applications or operations are not extensible because they are platform and programming language dependent. In addition, no existing standard is present to define data center management.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a standard method that allows administrators to manage data centers regardless of languages and platforms. It would also be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that utilizes the benefits of Web services to facilitate communications between different types of servers and devices within a data center.